. A LOCAL 10 INVESTIGATION FINDS THAT DRIVERS IN TAMARACK ARE RACING TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM ARE BEING TICKETS BY THE RED LIGHT CAMERA BY THE CITY AND THE CITY IS MAKING THEM PAY. AND WE ARE ASKING THE CITY LEADERS HOW THEY PROFIT FROM PEOPLE'S PAIN. I COULDN'T BREATHE. JACOB WAS WORRIED HE WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK AND SO HE RUSHED HIMSELF TO THE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN TAMARACK, AND IN A FEW WEEKS LATER, HE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR EXPERIENCE WHEN HE GOT A $158 TICKET, BECAUSE THIS CAMERA CAUGHT HIM RUNNING A RED LIGHT THE ENTRANCE OF THE HOSPITAL. I WAS SCARED AND WANTED TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Reporter: TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE CITY'S MAGISTRATE REFUSED TO DISMISS THE TICKET EVEN AFTER HE SHOWED THEM THE DISCHARGE PAPERS FROM THE HOSPITAL. I WENT TO THE HEARING, AND THEY JUST TOLD ME THAT IT WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH OF AN EXCUSE. I'VE BEEN A LAWYER FOR SOMETIME, AND I'VE NEVER SEEN A CITY DO SOMETHING SO GREEDY. THE FORT LAUDERDALE TICKET ATTORNEY BELIEVES THE CITY PUT THIS CAMERA HERE TO SPECIFICALLY NAB DRIVERS SO DESPERATE FOR MEDICAL HELP, THEY'D RUN A RED LIGHT, AND HE QUESTIONS THE STATE SYSTEM THAT REQUIRES CITIES TO PAY THEIR MAGISTRATES. TAMARACK IS THE SAME PARTY GIVING THE TICKET, SO WHY WOULDN'T THAT PERSON SAY OF COURSE, TAMARACK GETS THE MONEY. BECAUSE IF SHE DOESN'T? SHE WILL PROBABLY LOSE HER POSITION. Reporter: THIS IS ONE OF THE NINE RED LIGHT CAMERAS AND THE CROSS STREET, 72nd IS A QUIET TWO STREET ROADS AND THIS IS CALLED ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS AND THIS CAMERA ONLY POINTS NORTH, CATCHING THE DRIVERS TURNING LEFT INTO THE HOSPITAL. THE CITY NOT CONDONING OR PREYING ON ANYONE. THE TAMARACK MAYOR TOLD US THE CITY ONLY TRYING TO KEEP DRIVERS SAFE AND STANDS BY THE MAGISTRATE WHO TO DATE HAS UPHELD TWO VIOLATIONS ISSUED TO EMERGENCY ROOM PATIENT. IF YOU'RE HEADED TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM HERE IN TAMARACK AND YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY, WAIT FOR LIGHT TO TURN GREEN. IT'S TWO MINUTES BEFORE MY MEETING. YOU'LL HAVE TO EXCUSE ME. PLEASE TELL THE VIEWERS, IT'S ILLEGAL AND DANGEROUS. I WAS VERY SURPRISED. I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS RIGHT. TURNS OUT HE WAS JUST HAVING A PANIC ATTACK. HE'S FINE NOW, BUT SAYS THE $283 FEE FOR RACING TO THE HOSPITAL THAT DAY STILL STINGS. I WOULD UNDERSTAND WHY THEY HAVE IT ON OTHER STREETS, BUT THE FACT THAT IT WAS IN THAT TURNING SIGNAL FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE EMERGENCIES EACH DAY, I JUST THINK THAT'S WRONG AND NOT FAIR. IN TAMARACK, ROGER LOHSY. THE CITY HAS ISSUED 494 VIOLATIONS IN THAT RED LIGHT INTERSECTION SINCE THE CAMERA

TAMARAC, Fla. -

A Local 10 investigation found that drivers in Tamarac racing to the emergency room are being ticketed by one of the city's red-light cameras.

The city is making those violators pay the fine, even though they were having real medical emergencies.

Jacob Alcahe was worried he was having a heart attack, so he rushed himself to University Hospital in Tamarac.

"I really couldn't breathe, I was sweating, just a lot of things going on," said Alcahe.

A few weeks later, Alcahe said he experienced similar symptoms when he received a $158 ticket in the mail. It appears the camera on University Drive at Northwest 72nd Street captured him running the red light at the entrance to the hospital.

"I was just kind of scared and I wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible," said Alcahe.

To make matters worse, the city's magistrate refused to dismiss the ticket even after he showed them his discharge papers from the hospital.

"I went to the hearing and they just told me it wasn't a good enough excuse," Alcahe said.

Fort Lauderdale ticket attorney Ted Hollander, of The Ticket Clinic, believes the city put the camera there specifically to nab drivers so desperate for medical help, they'd run a red light.

"I've been a lawyer a long time and I've really never seen a city do something that's so greedy, in my opinion," said Hollander.

Hollander questions the state system that requires cities to pay their magistrates salaries.

"The person that's acting as the judge is paid by Tamarac," said Hollander. "Tamarac is the same city that's giving the ticket so why wouldn't that person say, of course, Tamarac gets the money?"

The red-light camera on University Drive near the hospital is one of nine red-light cameras in Tamarac. The cross street is Northwest 72nd Street and it's a two-lane road. The city calls it one of its most dangerous intersections, yet there's only one camera there: it points north, where it can catch drivers turning left into the hospital.

Tamarac Mayor Harry Dressler said, "The city is not condoning, neither are we preying on anyone."

Dressler told Local 10 the city is only trying to keep drivers safe and stands by the magistrate who, to date, has upheld at least two violations issued to emergency room patients.

"So if you're headed to the emergency room here in Tamarac and you're having trouble breathing, wait for the light to turn green?" asked Lohse.

It turns out Alcahe was just having a panic attack. He's fine now but said the $283 fine and fee he had to pay for racing to the hospital that day still stings.

"I would understand why they would have it at other streets, but the fact that it was at that turning signal for people that have emergencies each day, I just think that's wrong, that's not fair," said Alcahe.

The city said it has issued 494 red-light violations at that intersection since the camera was turned on in August. However, city officials couldn't tell Local 10 how many of those violators were turning left into the hospital.

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